Sweet Cup of Nothing
by Norma Jean the Dancing Machine
Summary: It's a simple friendship.That's it. Just like a simple cup of coffee. inspired by events in my life
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Office related

All it was something simple. Just a receptionist and a temp getting a friendly cup of coffee. It was like a cup of coffee really, simple and sweet. Nothing special. It was just a hump day treat for the both of them. Well it wasn't even a treat. It was much too simple for that.

Honest, it was.

It started off quietly enough. He didn't want to go on coffee date with his "girlfriend" alone one day and invited the receptionist along. She had seemed a little down and out since her engagement was called off. Or maybe it was because that one salesman left. No one really bothered to find out for real, and it didn't matter. He just didn't want to be with a girl that talked non-stop to him about marriage and lip gloss. He thought having another girl would break it up and maybe he could slip off alone.

That day, the temp showed up alone at the coffee shop. He was getting agitated with his life in Pennsylvania and dreamed of something differently. As he stirred his hazelnut coffee, he saw the receptionist walk in. She looked really dazed and upset. He supposed it was because that salesman came back...with an attractive co-worker. He stared at her for a bit before he called her over. She seemed a little hesitant to stay alone with him, but nonetheless shuffled over with her caramel frappachino. They muttered a few thing about weather until a silence swept over them. He watched as she stirred the whipped cream around an equal amount of times back and forth. He chuckled, looking at her because she looked like little girl playing with milkshake. She looked up at him surprised.

"What?"

"Nothing. I promise"

With that they fell back into an awkward silence for a little bit. He watched her play more with her drink a bit more. He never really looked at her before. He never really talked to her before either. He wanted to ask so many things. He wanted to know if she really loved the salesman, how did she get into art, if she wanted to go to this Italian restaurant on Saturday night. But he didn't say any of that. He asked stupid things like how her day was . After awhile of asking stupid questions, it seemed to perk her up a little bit though. Before they knew it they had been sitting at the cafe for two hours chatting sweet nothings (but no mention of a date Saturday night). When she realized the time she double glanced at her watch and bit her lip. She mumbled something about meeting someone for dinner and said a short goodbye. He simply stuttered a goodbye and watched as she got up from the table. As she walked away, she turned and asked if they could do that again, just sit the two of them and talk. Her eyes looked desperate and he couldn't say no. Not that he wanted to anyway.

And that was it. Just a temp and a receptionist. Drinking caffeinated drinks and making fun of their boss and co-workers. He noticed she smiled more each day and she noticed that he seemed to open up more everyday. It went on like this until he got a little nervous. He got nervous because he never felt like this about a girl. It scared him. It made him feel trapped. So he did the only thing that seemed alright to him.

He applied (and got) the job in New York. He never forgot about their coffee dates though . I mean they were dates weren't they? However, he forgot everything else that mattered in his life and messed that up. Eventually, he ended up back in Pennsylvania. And that's when he saw it.

He saw his receptionist hand in hand with that salesman. He hated it, and he let it show, especially to her . He couldn't help it. It just hurt so badly to see her. It killed him to be nice to hear when his heart was breaking. He couldn't hate her for too long. He wanted things to go back to how it was before New York, simple and sweet. So he asked her out for coffee. "Like old times "he said "just like old times". It took a few tries, but ultimately she said yes and they were back in the same seats they were when she was heartbroken. It was a awkward in the beginning but after a few apologies and jokes, things fell back to their old friendship. Soon enough they were meeting for coffee every week again.

Then came the week they announced they were getting married in Niagara. It all seemed too surreal. Even when they announced they were engaged. Even when they announced they were pregnant. It didn't seem right. It just seemed like to him that they were falling in love and they were meant to be together. He was positive he was in love and he was so sure she was going to come to her senses and realize she was in love with him. He was so, so positive that in between the cafe lattes and creamer, they connected deeply. But, here he was, the Wednesday before the office was heading down to Niagara for the wedding, alone at the cafe. He stared down at his mug of black coffee and sighed before taking sip. He really thought she was the best friend he had ever had. He could talk to her so easily. Why in the world did he move to New York? If he knew that things would end up like this he would never leave her. Ever. He put his mug down on the table and gazed out the window. He didn't know what he was looking for. He didn't expect her to be to be coming here today. But he found himself re-filling his mug few times waiting for her to come.

He was so sure it was love, so sure.


	2. Labor and Pains

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. At all. Still incorporating little bits of whats happening in my life into this, except this chapter doesn't have any of that.

He found himself back at the same cafe the day her labor pains began. She started around mid-morning. Everyone insisted she head straight towards the hospital, but she wanted to wait it out. Wait for what he wondered. Though he didn't want to admit it, every time he heard her say she wanted to wait, he wanted it to mean she was waiting for him somehow.

And that my friend was the most foolish thing he ever thought.

No, the worst he thought was as he was sitting there drinking his cup of regular, she would waddle in their looking for him. Begging him to take care of her. He looked towards the door as he thought this. He caught himself doing this and berated himself. He couldn't help it though. She was having labor pains, and he was having his own pains.

He snorted into his mug about that. He sounded so melodramatic. That wasn't him. He was cool, he was confident, he was...

Not kidding anyone.

He took of his hipster glasses and put them on the table and began to rub his eyes. Sighing, he picked up his glasses and cleaned them. Putting them back on he saw a girl waiting in line. a girl that looked so much like her. He smirked and remembered a coffee date a few months ago.

"It's not fair"

He looked up startled from his drink and looked at her.

"What isn't?"

"You. Drinking all that caffeine. I'm too jealous." Her arms were spread over her slightly raised tummy.

"It's a shame it's so good." He teased her, taking a long sip from his grande coffee. She merely stuck her tongue out and wrapped her arms more protectively over her stomach. She looked down at her bump and smiled.

"What will you name her?" he asked. Honestly, he was hoped it was a girl. that left no chance for it to be named after their boss. Or worse, its father.

"Why are you so sure it's a girl?" she asked curiously. "We don't find out till Friday."

"I just picture you with a baby girl more." he responded casually.

Truthfully, he saw himself and her with a baby girl. A little chubby girl with ribbons in her reddish that would laugh and smile. He had to smile at the thought of that.

"What are you smiling at?" she asked. She was smiling too. He loved it.

"You're going to be great mom."

She blushed and looked down at her stomach. Rubbing it, she looked up with a smile on her face and a tear in her eye, she responded.

"Thank you."

"Just don't name it something like Hortense, okay?"

Pssh. That was months ago. Now she was going to have this baby soon. She was going to mother and he was..well not.


	3. City Traffic Puzzle

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. At all. Still trying to incorporate little bits of what is happening in my life.

He slammed closed his book on the cafe table. A few people turned around aggravated at the noise, but quickly recovered and went back to their lives. He smiled apologetically at them and looked down at his book. It wasn't enough distraction for him. He needed music, something drown out his thoughts. He pulled his IPod out of his left pocket and plugged the headphones, blocking the life going on around him.

The first song that popped up was a jazz song that she told him she listened to all the time. She replied that she actually enjoyed jazz music with lots of trombone and piano. He told her that he wasn't the type for that kind of music. It was to all over the place for him. But here he was listening to Miles Davis, tapping his feet to the beat. He had to admit it, there was a charisma to this music that he couldn't find in the posh punk-rock ballads he always found himself singing in the showers. He liked the springiness of it, it reminded him of her.

She was at the hospital now, about to have a gorgeous baby that will no doubt look just like her. He shook his head in disbelief in frustration. He really couldn't believe she was having baby. It only felt like a few days ago that it was his first time meeting her. She was engaged then too, and he just couldn't picture her being married to that guy. He could picture her with baby though. she had that maternal thing about her. He told her that several times before. Even before she got pregnant or married he told her she was mom. She had this nurturing way about her and he could easily see her wiping some baby's chin or cradling an infant close to her.

The song ended and he opened eyes again. Another senseless pop-rock song bursted into his headphones and he quickly changed the song. The song that cam one hit him like poppy piano and guitar quartet in the form of The Hush Sound. He paused it. The song that came on was "City Traffic Puzzle." He had this song repeat when he saw them holding hands. He sang it constantly when he found she was getting married. He tried forgetting it every day when he found out she was pregnant. It was the refrain that really got him. He hit the play button again and found himself that listening to family piano keys.

The refrain came at him extremely too fast. He remembered what made this song so painful to him.

"I don't want to love you if love leaves me this cold  
I don't want to love you if love is this alone"

Hearing those words, the temp realized how much they meant o him, how much they reminded him of her. He tapped his foot to the beat to try to get the thoughts out of head as he listened to the next words.

"Silence couldn't stop the sound  
The news and gossip got around  
A whisper here whisper there  
I do but don't know why I care"

This song was about him. It was about him wanting her and being afraid of wanting her. It was him knowing he could not have her.

What a pathetic temp he was. He had to stop doing this. He couldn't just stay here and wallow in his pity. That was not who he was. He was better than that. Once upon a time he even believed he was better than her. He knew it could never be true but he had to redeem himself someone how. But he humbled himself, and that made him the better person. Yeah. He could do this. Just walk away and forget he ever liked (loved) her. He was stronger than that.

At that exact moment, his phone went off with a text message. It was from his girlfriend (not really his girlfriend, just a girl friend). It read

OMG!! They named her Cecelia Marie! So cute 3

He slumped back in his seat. So, she arrived. He suddenly wasn't feeling so confident again.


End file.
